


Mother of Pathos and Pity

by paradoxicalRenegade (citadelofswords)



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, No one knows what's going on, So is Karkat - Freeform, i love moirallegiance so moirallegiance there will be, rating and warnings will change, relationships will be added as needed, rose lalonde is a snarky broad, sollux captor is tired of everyone's shit, the kids are mismatched with the aspects, the trolls are actually gods, there is so much moirallegiance it hurts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-02
Updated: 2014-03-22
Packaged: 2018-01-10 21:13:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1164586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/citadelofswords/pseuds/paradoxicalRenegade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose drew her black coat around herself and shivered in the cold breeze. It was half past ten at night, according to the Goddess of Time, and for the first time in a long time, Rose was at peace with herself. It couldn't last, she knew that, but she refused to let that stop her from reveling in what she had.</p>
<p>Then the first vision came, and she bent under its will.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. whatever a moon has always meant

**Author's Note:**

> Welp. The story behind this is literally, "I wanna write something big." *goes hunting through tags and stumbles upon [this glorious image](http://zebeck.tumblr.com/post/21227137502/rose-sollux-for-the-same-dirk-john-anon-i-see)* YES ROSE AND SOLLUX BEING SNARKY BROS.
> 
> I'm hoping for this to be 13 or so chapters, maybe less. Chapter length will be determined one where there is a natual break in the story. Updating will be sporadic, but as writer's block hasn't struck yet it on't go on hiatus until mayyyyyyybe June.
> 
> Enjoy!

Rose Lalonde almost fell out of the window of her tower in boredom.

It was dreadfully boring to be the most unimportant member of a family. It had been easier when her twin had still been home, and she’d at least had some company while her parents busied themselves with Dirk, the Prince to Be. But Dave had left for T’Lskaia years ago, leaving Rose by herself.

Well, it mattered little. Soon her elder sister Roxy would leave for Prospit and their mother would have to notice little Rose again. Inside the safety of her own head, Rose scoffed. _Little_. She was anything but; however it had been ages since anyone besides Dave had noticed. Roxy had wasted herself in drinking the void sold in the dingy little pubs, while Rose had spent all her time buried in the library, away from the sun. Yes, she was as pale as snow compared to Roxy, but she also wasn’t rail-thin, and her hair was longer and fuller than Roxy’s, which was styled every day to give the illusion that it held the same volume that it had had when she’d been younger.

Rose loved her brother and sister, but she knew that she was little more than a shadow to her parents. Very likely they would marry her to some Prospitian lord and send her away, and let bygones be bygones. It hurt that Dave wouldn’t be around to see it, but he had an important job now, and he was happy.

What job wouldn’t let him even come home to his sister was one Rose didn’t know.

\--

Dirk knew.

T’Lskaia was the city of the gods. The people there lived surrounding an immense wall of blue and white glass, and behind that wall the gods dwelled. No one ever saw them, although everyone knew them. There were twenty-four in total, and twelve various aspects they ruled over. No one knew their names, their titles, or even their species. Twelve of them spoke directly to their Seers, and the other twelve were mysterious- never venturing from their rooms, never speaking to anyone save those they had summoned to their presence.

Dave was a Seer. The guards had come to speak to their parents about it directly. They had refused, but Dave, being the stubborn, stubborn little brother Dirk had known him to be, had scampered off in the middle of the night after his guards, and had gone to T’Lskaia to be the Seer of the Goddess of Time.

He hadn’t told Rose. He hadn’t even said goodbye to her. As far as Rose knew, their parents had sent Dave away themselves. Little did she know that they had tried to send Rose in his place, and the guards had refused to take her.

Now his father was turning from his place at the window and saying something to his mother. Dirk heard “Rose” and “Roxy” and “Prospit” and was able to quickly piece together the rest.

“No,” he said, and rose from his seat.

“No?” His father turned very slowly to him. Dirk did not back down. He knew what would be coming to him if he continued to stand his ground, but he had taken worse for his younger siblings.

“You cannot be serious about sending Rose to Prospit.” Dirk slowly clenched his hand, trying to stop it from shaking. “She won’t survive there- she doesn’t know the politics, doesn’t know its people… You’ve always insisted on leaving her home when you visit.”

“She’s a damn better choice than Roxy,” his mother mumbled.

“No,” Dirk said again. “Let me go, I’ll- I’ll be better there, than she will.”

“No,” his father thundered, and he was positively terrifying when he didn’t raise his voice. “Rose will go to Prospit, and that is my final decision.”

Dirk stared at his father, who turned back to the window as if he hadn’t just sentenced his younger daughter to death. Then, he whirled around, and stormed out of the room, out the door, and up the stairs, on his way to find Roxy. She had always been the one to get Rose out of trouble when they’d been young. She’d know what to do.

\--

The man was dressed in black, and his feet never made a sound. It wouldn’t have made a difference if they did- no one was around to hear them.

Torchlight burned dim on the walls. Everything was so archaic here, and he hated it. It was better in his own wing, where the torchlight was replaced by lines of red and blue that guided whoever dared set foot there away from his chamber, which towered high and was lit by a soft, buzzing white glow.

Technology was beautiful, but only in his eyes. Or, what was left of them.

The man in black followed the smell of blood until he could see it pooling on the floor, and then he continued until it curled around his toes, and then he continued until he was ankle deep in a pool of it. It was here that the hall widened into the antechamber, the torchlight bounced off of the mirrored walls, and the man in black saw a blackened, burned body curled in the center, black eyes pooling thick red blood from charred, empty sockets.

“Aw, shit,” said the man, making use of old, antiquated slang that echoed through the room. His lisp was strong, and his voice was resigned. “They just don’t last like they used to.”

\--

The woman in red screamed, and her voice tore at Dave’s very eardrums.

He woke from a deep sleep, ripped Caledfwlch from its sheath, and burst onto the landing, searching desperately for the source of the noise. His dreams were most often visions of the past and the future, muddled together in a sea so thick he couldn’t always discern them from reality right away. However, there had been something about this one that had seemed real, that had seemed as though it were happening right now, in the wing of Time.

As it happened, the incident in question was happening on the stairs.

Dave had never seen a God with their hood down before. The woman in front of him was small, and dressed in teal to her ankles, and her cloak was impossibly red. A deeper teal was pouring down her face, and Dave gingerly approached her.

“My lady?” he rasped, addressing her in the formal way despite the fact that he was not her Seer, and she flinched back against the wall of the stairwell. “What’s happened?”

“My eyes,” she groaned, and lifted her head. Dave had seen injuries much worse in his lifetime, and did not flinch at the sight of her sockets, which were pouring teal blood and looked nearly black.

“Who did this?” he asked, and hefted Caledfwlch higher in his hands. “I will go attack them, if you want me to.”

“Shut the fuck up, Seer,” she snapped suddenly, and he jerked in surprise. “You may drop the formalities, with me. I am grievously injured and yet all I desire is justice. That is my purpose, and I will see it through!”

“You’ve got no sight to speak of,” said Dave, quietly.

“That is a setback, I admit,” she said, “but I am sure I will find a solution.”

Dave watched her struggle to her feet for a moment, and then said, “I can be your eyes.”

“Don’t be absurd,” the Goddess said, and moved to clean the blood from her face with one hand, nails as sharp as cut glass. “You are a Seer, but you are not my Seer. You can do no such thing.”

“Then let me be your guide.” Dave begged. “Without me, you could be-,”

“Killed? Unlikely. A god cannot die, unless the death is a just one. I do not deserve death, therefore I shall not die.”

“You could be hurt worse. I will not see you hurt, not now that I heard your pain and was unable to help you.”

The Goddess went very still. “This could be considered blasphemy.”

“This is called common fucking human decency, if you would excuse me, and maybe it’s uncommon amongst yourselves but it’s very common where I’m from, and I ask you again to let me guide you, if only for a night.”

The Goddess cackled, and it was a strange sound. “You are much better when you aren’t so formal,” she said, and tilted her head. “All right, I will accept your help. As long as you promise to speak with me in the same way you spoke before. I do love a rebel.”

Dave twined his fingers with hers. Her claws dug into his palm and he grinned. “Sounds fucking fine to me. Shit’s about to go down like a firestorm you’ve never seen before.”

“You, Seer, are positively dastardly. I love it.” Her tongue flicked out, teal and forked between a set of sharply pointed teeth, and he began to guide her up the stairs.

\--

Rose turned around to look one last time at the place she had once called her home.

Dirk and Roxy had cornered her several hours before to explain to her the situation. Roxy, for the first time in a very long time, did not smell of the void. Dirk looked furious beyond belief.

“Fine,” Rose had said, smoothing her skirt. “Let them send me to Prospit. I don’t care, if it means I’ll finally be important.”

“Rosie,” Roxy said, completely taking Rose by surprise- it was a nickname she thought her sister had forgotten about. “I don’t want you going to Prospit. It’s not the same there. Everyone is too honest and open- it gives me the creeps.”

“If that’s what Father wants,” Rose bit out, “then that is what I will do. You can’t stop me.”

There was a beat of silence. Then, Dirk said, “We can help.”

Rose learned more in several hours than she ever had with her tutors. Her head spun with the facts she had learned. Her father had watched her with an eagle’s eye as she stepped out of the gates, but her mother had at least had the courtesy to shed a tear or two. Rose had sniffed and turned away, pretending it didn’t bother her that despite the notion that she was four years younger than her sister and, very likely, would not even survive the road to Prospit, her mother didn’t seem to care as she left.

The purple of Derse sparkled in the dawn light, and a thought came to Rose’s mind, unbidden. Something her tutor had told her after her mother had done something particularly passive-aggressive.

“A mother will do whatever is best for her children,” the woman had said. “Perhaps you won’t understand at the time, but you will eventually understand.”

Rose was sure she would never understand her mother. _But I don’t need to. I can do things myself_ , she thought, and promptly tripped over a rock.

\--

“Ah, damn, that’s another one gone,” said the woman in red.

The man in black looked op. Before him, the pond stretched as if it were a pool of glass. If he had the energy or the desire to strain his eyes, he could see into the inner ring, where the Elder Gods resided. “They can’t handle it?” he asked thickly.

“No,” sighed the woman. “They are incapable of handling even the slightest touch on their mind.”

“It’s because you’re too fucking majestic,” the man said dryly.

“Thank you! However, I do not believe that is the case. These humans are weak. I need someone strong enough to handle the weight. There is too much pent up grief buried in the back of my mind and I cannot keep it concealed.”

“Seriously?” The man turned from the smooth reflection of the water. “You have all this power over mind and you can’t keep a lid on your own?”

“Excuse you! I control choice, not mind. Your defense is hereby rendered moot.”

“Do you have a Seer?”

“Of course I have a Seer! I am not, however, willing to risk her like you have done so many times.”

“Bullshit. I do not risk my Seers. That makes it sound as though we’re playing a stupid game for wigglers.”

“You keep killing them.” It was not an accusation. The man in black forced himself to relax.

“They keep dying,” he muttered. “I don’t understand.”

“Perhaps they are simply not smart enough?”

The man said nothing, and tossed a stone in a clean arc towards the water. The reflection of the thin crescent of the purple moonlet rippled upon the impact.

“What is it like?” The Goddess asked, leaning heavily on the man’s shoulder. “Outside?”

“I have no idea,” he muttered dryly.

“Bullshit. I know you see it, in your prophecies.”

“It’s awful out there,” he said. “Colorless. Drab. Their life is dismal at best and horrifying at worst. It’s a dream to become a Seer, because at least if you fail, you die instead of being tossed back out onto the streets.”

“Who would allow that to happen?” She turned to face him, and he saw, again, the red glass orbs they had placed in her head to replace the eyes she had lost.

“We would,” he said thickly, and that was the end of that.

\--

Dave sat in his room and carefully wiped Caledfwlch clean. It had been a terrible night- with the Goddess’s grip tighter than a vice, he’d been unable to get a good image of whoever had blinded her. If he was lucky, the Goddess of Time would send him an image of the past to help him find the one responsible. If the Goddess of Mind was the judge and jury, then he would be her executioner, and no amount of blasphemy would stop him.

“Luckily, you need not worry about blasphemy.”

Dave started to his feet and whipped around, blade drawn. Then he relaxed, and lowered his blade.

“You scared the shit out of me, Aradia,” he muttered.

“As did you, last night.” Her eyes, entirely black save for two red slits, narrowed at him. “I don’t understand how you saw what you did.”

“You didn’t send it to me?”

“Of course I didn’t. Our domain is the past, Seer, not the present. Your connection to her is strong.”

Dave looked at the four puncture marks in his right palm and huffed.

“I offered to be her eyes,” he said. “Was that stupid of me?”

“No, it was very considerate. And it was also the reason I knew I had to have you. You’re more than just a Seer, you’re a Knight. You shield all those who need shielding. And it is why I have decided to share you with her.”

“I’m sorry?” Dave choked out.

“She has not yet found anyone who is strong enough to handle her touch at the back of their mind, except for you. Those puncture wounds in your hand should be infected, leaving your hand useless, but it isn’t.”

Dave hadn’t known that. “What will that mean for…”

“Us? She will not always have need of you. When she is with her own moirail, she will not need you. He is eyes enough for her.” Aradia laid a hand delicately on Dave’s cheek. “You are not required to have anything for her, nor should you feel obligated to.”

_But I do_ , Dave thought. Out loud, he said, “You know I’m pale for you, right?”

Aradia smiled. “Of course I do, and I for you,” she told him fondly, and extended her two first fingers to join his in a diamond shape. “We’ll meet again tomorrow.”

“Until then,” he said, and watched her vanish down the corridor.

\---

Rose was startled from her walking by a hissing in her ear. “If you value your life,” a voice said, “you will follow me.”

Rose turned to see a man standing behind her, in a white cloak cast slightly purple by the light of the moon. “You are very cryptic,” she told him. “And I’m not sure I exactly value my life. Why am I following you?”

The man sighed. “Just ahead,” he said, “there is a roving band of thieves. They capture and kill any traveler on their path, and do worse with the ladies.”

“I think I will take my chances,” Rose replied dryly.

“Milady, please,” he begged, and she looked him in the eyes. They were red, almost like Dave’s, and she had to force herself to remain calm. “I can save your life.”

“I think I will take my chances,” she repeated, and continued down the path.

There were several guards ahead of her, all marching along as if they hadn't seen or heard the man in white. Rose drew her small dagger, steeled her shoulders, and continued to walk along.

Within five minutes, they had walked into an ambush. Rose had kicked her slippers off and spun into an attack, all while her guards died around her. She cared little for their lives. They were mindless soldiers, toys of her parents and yet another reminder of their apathy. She would fight for herself.

There were three left when she realized she was tiring out. It was quite impressive, and hopefully those who found her body later would see the damage she had left on the band and would hail her as, perhaps not a hero, but at least more powerful than first impressions might leave.

Someone grabbed her hand. “What the fuck did I tell you?” the man growled in her ear. “Run!”

At that moment, Rose felt an urge of self-preservation. She ran.

“Where are we going?” she asked the man in front of her.

“Away,” he said shortly. “Not to Prospit, there is little point in sending you there. You would die before you could even be married. They are too honest there, they would tell that you hold a mask in front of your face to hide your true self from them and they would not trust you. You would be assassinated, and that would be a waste. Besides, anyone worth marrying there is long gone. No, we’re going to T’Lskaia. The Gods can keep you safe.”

“Are you sure?” Rose asked. “They never venture from their palace. They sit there and let their Seers speak for them. The higher Gods don’t even have Seers, and so no one knows their will. How can you be sure they will protect me?”

He looked back at her, hesitated, and then said, “I’m here, aren't I?”

Rose’s hand tightened in his, but she did not stop. If she did, she knew she was dead. “You don’t look like a God,” she said finally.

“Well, obviously. I’ve hidden my true form from your eyes. It’s otherworldly, very majestic, all that bullshit, and to be quite frank it makes me uncomfortable to have its outward appearance. Besides, you aren’t my Seer. However, I have seen into your heart and I know you are smart and capable of handling being a Seer. You’re also vulnerable. We can protect you. You’ll stay alive.”

“The God of Blood,” she said.

“That’s me,” he muttered. “Wish I wasn’t. You can call me Karkat, if you want. I really don’t give a shit about the formalities.”

She knew all about the God of Blood. He was the Savior, or the son of the Savior, no one knew. His ancestor had been one of a few to venture into the human dwellings, to preach to them about peace and how to alleviate their suffering. The aspects were all very confused; no one knew what the gods actually ruled over. But everyone knew that the God of Blood often roamed the outside of T’Lskaia and helped those who needed help- although not without a few choice words for them.

“Aren't you going to... chastise me?” Rose asked.

“One. I’m not your God, there’s no point. Two. You took your chances and, considering them, you did extremely well. You managed to stay alive long enough to kill most of those asshats. You have incredibly good luck. I think you’ll fit with her, but we’ll see what happens.”

Rose didn't bother asking who “her” was. It was obviously one of the Goddesses, and if she was destined to become a Seer, she would find out soon enough.

\--

“There is someone coming,” said a small voice in the back of Dave’s mind.

It had only been a few hours and Dave was already used to the Goddess’ presence in the back of his mind. She didn’t talk to him all the time, but she was always there. Dave wondered how much she could see. Not that he particularly minded, but.

“What do you mean?” he said aloud, and paused in his trek down the hallway.

“There is someone coming with a presence I have never sensed before,” the Goddess said. “She was born to be a Seer.”

“You can sense people’s presences?”

“It’s an advantage to being blind, I suppose. My other senses are now heightened, including my precognition. She has an aura the likes of which… it’s very _right_ , as though it just belongs here. And, it’s very large.”

Dave dimly remembered someone saying the same of Rose’s aura. With a guilty pang, he realized he had completely forgotten about her over the last several months. “Can you see-,” he cut himself off suddenly, before he went any further. “I mean, I apologize, my lady.”

“None of these formalities, Eyes,” she said firmly, and he could _see her waving her hand,_ this was preposterous. “You will address me as Terezi, and I shall call you my Coolkid, and you will not hesitate to say what is on your mind, no matter if you think it will offend me or not. I assure you, I am not easily offended.”

“Fine, TZ,” he said, because Terezi was nice, but it was a little bit of a mouthful. “Can you see her? What does she look like?”

“I cannot see her, but I will ask my moirail when he goes to examine her, if she looks like your beloved twin sister.” Dave turned red. “You cannot hide from me, which is why I want you to say what is on your mind. Although, perhaps not so loudly. The God of Hope is a stickler for tradition, and he may not take kindly to the idea that you are Time’s Seer and my Eyes. You speaking aloud could give us away.”

“You didn’t tell him?”

“Of course I didn’t! He is a buttface, and always rains on our parade. He harbors a special hatred for my moirail and me, and will not hesitate to try and get us in trouble with _his_ moirail.”

“Will you? Get in trouble, I mean.”

“No, she is a sweetheart, and is unlikely to punish us. It is clear that she has a flushcrush on the God of Doom, but he is afraid to return her sentiments, without a Seer of his own.”

Dave wanted to ask more questions, but he suddenly found his mouth had gone dry. He had seen a flash of purple in the main hallway, and no one else wore that shade of purple like Rose Lalonde.

\--

“He can handle me!” Terezi said. “This is more than I could ever have hoped for.”

“Hush,” snapped Aradia.

“Fuck you,” Terezi replied cheerfully. “I am going to bask in this glory for the next few sweeps or so, and you can’t stop me.”

“You like him,” Aradia sighed.

“I do, and I see no shame in admitting it! However, I am not one to force my affections onto a person when I don’t know if they reciprocate.”

“Dave keeps most of his feelings hidden, unless they concern his sister. He’s very open when it comes to her, for some reason. Going back to you for a moment, if you do not force your affections onto people, what do you call what you were doing with Karkat?”

“He was over the moon for me! You just couldn’t tell underneath the grumpy face. I am not sure he has moved on, but he is happy with his Seer. They fight often, and I think John reminds him of me a little bit.”

“You haven’t moved on either,” Aradia pointed out, and Terezi sighed.

“You are the most honest of all of us. It would never have worked between us. It was always meant to be just a short little fling. It’s not our fault that we…” Terezi bit her lip.

“I understand.”

“I know you do,” Terezi grinned at her. “Tell me all about your problems.”

\--

Dave was dying.

Rose very nearly screamed when she saw the body in the main hallway, and ignored the splash of blood up her ankles as she ran to his side. “Dave, Dave,” she whispered, tears blurring her vision as she knelt.

When she reached out, her hand was black. Smooth, whole, unburned, but black all the same.

The scene flipped. Her stomach moved up and down again. Dave was gone. In his place was the body of a man she didn’t recognize, curled away from her. The entire room was dark save for a soft white glow. There was a buzzing in her ears, a low hum she didn’t recognize. Slowly, she rose, and backed away.

“There is nothing I can do for you,” she murmured, but the language was not one she recognized- it was harsher, its vowels lifted higher and its consonants hacked up. “Go now, in peace.”

“Hm,” said a voice, and the image crumbled. Rose found herself back in the cathedral chamber, clad in silver. Her hands were their normal pale pink color, and she wondered what had happened.

“It may have been going too far, including your twin in the test,” said a voice from the shadows. The man who emerged wore blue, and no hood hid his face.

“Are you a God?” Rose asked, and nearly started at the venom that dripped from every word.

“No, I’m just a Seer. You’ve been touched.”

“Touched by what?”

The Seer did not respond, and turned aside from her. “How about we get you settled. You’ll be the Goddess of Light’s Seer.”

Rose didn’t know what exactly the Goddess of Light could manipulate, not like she knew what the God of Blood- _Karkat_ \- could do. However, she was sure it was very impressive and important, judging by how curt the Seer in front of her sounded.

“Now, there are some things I have to go over. You are aware that the inner halls are not yours to traverse. Neither are the halls of any God who has not expressly invited you to their presence. You may also be aware that most Seers end up in a relationship with their God. It’s traditional. If the idea of being with a female is… not pleasing-,”

“Now that is something that will not be a problem,” Rose said quietly.

“The Gods do have platonic relationships.” He hadn’t even heard her. Gods, it was though he was explaining that the relationships were like a feast. Positively disgusting.

“I would like you to stop your pointless babble immediately, Seer.” A figure clad in a black cloak emerged from the gloom in the back of the hall. “Go back to your God and leave me with the girl.”

The Seer’s eyes narrowed at him, but he left post-haste.

Rose stared at the man in front of her, and she assumed that he was staring back under the black hood of his cloak.

“The God of Void is a quiet one,” he said finally, and Rose very nearly giggled when she detected a thick lisp masking his words. “His Seers like to babble, in order to fill the silence. It’s amusing, when they’re not droning too much. Why are you laughing at me?”

“Oh, dear, sir,” Rose said, and took a moment to regulate her breathing. “I have not heard one speak such as you in a long time, sir.”

“You would do well to be careful, Seer,” said the main in black, and she saw a thin hand emerge from beneath his cloak. Red and blue energy crackled around his fingers. “The God of Doom is not one to be trifled with. You never can tell when I could snap.”

Rose didn’t say anything. Finally, she said, “You’re smaller than I expected a death god to be.”

“My back hurts,” he complained, “so I’m hunched over.”

“Your lisp is adorable,” she added.

His lightning sparked, and she took a step back as he raised his hand. Then, he lowered it. “Yeah. Moirail says that all the time. It gets fucking annoying, listening to her coo about it every time she forgets, or pretends to forget, which is always. Is there anything else you would like to say as long as I’m being merciful?”

“Yes. What, exactly, is about to happen?”

The hood of the cloak tilted up, and she saw a flash of lenses. “There’s been a change,” he rasped. “You’re to be my Seer, instead.”

“And I suppose there is nothing I can say that will change your mind?”

“Trust me, Rose, you don’t want to change my mind.”

She liked how her name rolled off his tongue. The lisp was fainter when he said it. She did notice that he had an accent under the lisp- harsh words, lilting vowels, grating consonants.

“What do I need to do?”

The God of Doom stared at her and then said. “I’m going to try… Please tell me if this hurts, okay, I’m not trying to hurt you.”

Something wormed into her mind. Her breath hitched in her throat as it pressed against the front of her head, and she gasped as it sank through her spinal cord and sent a stabbing pain though her sides.

The God stepped forwards, hands outstretched, and she waved him away. “Fine. I’m… fine. What was that?”

“Of course you’re fine. You’re not bleeding from your eyes. If you were, I assure you, things would be much worse. I was seeing if you could even handle a touch. You can handle far more than that.”

“Good.” Rose said. The pain had faded, leaving numbness behind that ached. It was almost like… withdrawal.

“We may as well go,” said the God of Doom. “There is little else you can do here.”

\--

“I give her a week, at most.” the Seer of Heart said dismissively.

“She had talent like I have never seen before,” the Seer of Void replied. “I think she’ll last longer.”

“Seriously? We’re doing this ALREADY?” The Seer of Blood settled in next to the Seer of Heart, pushing thin frame glasses further up his nose. “I think you sorely underestimate her. I think she’ll last.”

“She’s Seer to Doom, they never last. No amount of talent will save her, and you know it.” The Seer of Heart crossed his legs, readjusting his robes so they neatly draped over his slight frame.

The Seer of Blood rolled his eyes. “Nah, she’ll make it just fine. Besides, I recall you saying Dave wouldn’t last more than two days, and now look at him.”

“You called, John?” The Seer of Time appeared at John’s side. “Saying only good things about me?”

“Always and forever!” John said happily.

“Sorry, I’m going to drag this one away for a while. We need to talk about super important shit, bro to bro.” Dave grinned and his fingers circled John’s wrist to tug him upright. “We’ll only be a mo.”

“What’s a bro?” John asked.

“No idea,” Dave said, who lapsed back into his favorite vernacular the moment the elder Seers were far away, “the word just slipped out. I think I may have been with the Goddess too long.” Dave paused for a moment, and then laughed. “Yeah, shit’s getting weird in my pan, no thanks to you, lady.”

“Who are you talking to?” John asked, at this point thoroughly confused.

“Oh, um…” Dave stopped for a moment. “It's okay to tell him? Cool. The Goddess of Mind, if you must know.”

John gasped. “YOU’RE her eyes?”

“I dunno why it’s so hard to believe, but yes, I’m her eyes, let’s throw a party. Tell everyone. Actually, scratch that, tell no one, God of Hope wouldn’t be happy if he knew.”

John laughed and bumped shoulders with Dave. “Why’d you drag me away, then?”

“Wanted to hang out with you for a while, why not? Also, I’m kind of on a mission. Gotta find my crazy twin sister before she does something stupid like, I dunno, cut off all her hair.”

“Would she? Wait… she’s here?”

Dave didn’t answer for a moment. “Nah,” he said, “She’d do it of her own volition, just cause she wanted to, that’s her style. Yes, John, she’s here. Somehow ended up as the Seer of Doom. I dunno what drove our parents to send her here, nor how she ended up in that dangerous a spot. Huh?” He stopped, and John resigned himself to knowing that Dave was going to do this all the time now, and he’d just have to get used to it. “No, I’m not trying to save her from him, don’t worry, I trust his judgment because you do, lady.

“I’m trying to save her from herself.”

\--

From the shadows, there came a faint honk.


	2. this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. Sorry. I was wrong about the writer's block thing, which, y'know, sucks like no one's business. I'm hoping to kick it soon, but until then, there may not be any upd8s for a bit.
> 
> WARNING: There is a pretty graphic description of body horror. Just a visual, not actual, like, torture. 
> 
> Also, this chapter was unbeta'd, so any mistakes are my own.

The God of Doom looked up at Rose, who was contemplating herself in the mirror. “What are you doing?” he asked, not wholly unkindly.

“My hair,” Rose said, and flipped her long hair over one shoulder. “It reminds me too much of home. And besides, it’s not me anymore.”

He eyed the white tips, where the color was already beginning to leech out of her being, and nodded. “What are you thinking of doing with it?”

“I was going to cut it off.” She looked over her shoulder, a pair of razor-sharp shears in her hands, and he blinked at her.

“Have you ever cut hair before?”

“Not my own, no, but the premise is generally the same.”

“Uh-huh. No, not happening. Hold on. Don’t touch your hair with those scissors until I get back.”

Rose looked him straight in the eyes and placed the scissors on top of her head. He rolled his eyes and stepped outside.

“Terezi?” he called, softly, and her arrival was preceded by the sound of her high cackle.

“You called?”

“Can you cut hair?”

“Of course I can! Look at mine!” Terezi lowered her red hood and tugged on her short black locks. The God of Doom tried to ignore the awful red scarring around her empty eye sockets, and reminded himself that he needed to find her a pair of glasses, or a scarf of some kind.

“Can you cut her hair?”

“Your Seer? Absolutely!” Terezi threw her hood back up and pushed past him into the room. “There is no longer any need to fear, I am now here!”

“Oh, no, a God with theatrics,” he heard Rose says from inside, and internally groaned. “Dearly beloved, spare me from the travesty.”

“Do not make me auspitize between you two,” he groaned to himself, and moved back into the room, to see Terezi had taken the shears from Rose’s hand and had set to work.

“You smell like lavender!” Terezi was saying. “It’s very nice.”

“Thank you. You smell like artificial fruit and void,” Rose said back.

“I am hurt! I was offering a sincere compliment! Not everything has to be your crazy sarcastic rapport, you know.”

“That’s how I work best,” Rose said, and the God of Doom had to admire her for not backing down.

Terezi turned Rose to face him, having cut her hair so it just brushed her shoulders. “How about this, Sollux?”

“Sollux?” Rose mouthed to him.

“Don’t say it aloud!” Sollux hissed. “No, it looks worse than before, make it shorter.”

“Why can’t we say your name?” Rose asked with interest. “Does it summon an evil demon or something?”

“The Higher Gods don’t exactly know I’m still here.” Sollux said, and settled in a chair to watch Terezi work. “Long story, no point in explaining it. They think I vanished years and years ago. Only the Goddess of Life ever sees them anymore, and she keeps my secret.”

“Because she pities you!” Terezi said happily.

“Well, yeah, but I know that isn’t the whole reason.”

“So why ever not?” Rose asked.

“Because the God of Hope hates his guts. And also wants to bone him.” Terezi giggled at Rose’s look of confusion. “Oh, explaining romance to them is so entertaining!”

“Terezi, shut up for a second!” Sollux stood up, holding a hand out to press firmly against Terezi’s grin. He felt her sharp little teeth bite at the heel of his hand but ignored her, instead focusing on the sound just outside.

“Horns,” Rose said softly. “What…”

Terezi let go of the shears. Sollux turned to face her just as they clattered to the floor, and the sound echoed for many moments afterward.

Terezi blinked momentarily, and then she said, very softly, “Fuck you, I’m going to do it anyway.”

And then she fled from the room, tugging on the head of her dragon-topped cane, and Sollux had never been more afraid for her than she had been in that moment.

“Who was she talking to?” Rose asked, and when he turned to her, he saw half her hair was cut close to her chin, and the other half was still shoulder length.

“Her Eyes, I’m assuming, although I didn’t know the connection went both ways.” Sollux bent to retrieve the shears, and stared at them with apprehension.

“So who was that, then?”

“Her… her kismesis.” Sollux stuttered on the words, saw his hands shaking, and set about to steady them before he accidentally cut his Seer’s ear off.

“Ah, I see. The boy she hates and wants to, ahem, ‘bone’, as you call it.”

Sollux breathed out through his nose. This was going to be easier than he expected.

 

* * *

 

Dave rubbed the spot right above his left eye and tried to ignore the dull throbbing coming from the back of his head, where Terezi’s presence was nestled. She was banging her hate boyfriend, again. This happened a good number of times per day and Dave did his best to ignore it. At least Terezi didn’t let anything bleed through the connection by mistake.

Bleeding. She was bleeding right now, probably. Dave grimaced. “Focus,” he murmured to himself. “You’ve got a job to do.”

“What sort of a job?”

“Looking for you,” he said, without thinking, and looked up.

After several strangled moments of staring at each other, Dave cleared his throat. “You… you cut your hair. Oh, gods, that was supposed to be a hypothetical situation, not reality.”

Rose tugged on the ends of her white-blonde locks, cropped to just below her ears. “I think it looks nice,” she said. “And of course I was trying to spite you by cutting it all off. Why are you here?”

“I’m a Seer,” Dave said, but the words felt alien on his tongue. He’d never actually said it aloud to anyone, and now that he had, it felt wrong.

_You’re a knight_ , Terezi had said once. He shook the feeling away.

“You’re a Seer,” Rose said dryly. “Because that makes sense.”

“Shut up, it makes more sense than you being here with me. How did that happen?”

“Our parents sent me away. My path was… altered.” She grimaced, and looked away. “Are you… not happy to see me?”

What? Fuck. “No,” he said. “No, I am happy to see you, I swear, it’s just,” his brain flailed about, trying to find the right words to explain it to her, “it’s dangerous here, I wouldn’t wish this on you. On anyone.”

“Well, I’m here now, it’s done.” Rose wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. Dave stepped forwards and hugged her. His parents hadn’t liked them to show affection to anyone, not even each other, not even in private. But his parents weren’t here, and it had been three years since he’d seen her last.

Old antiquated rules be damned.

 

* * *

 

Aradia settled onto the windowsill, letting her legs swing over the edge into the cool night air. Sollux stood just behind her, and watched as she inhaled.

“It’s lovely out,” she said. “Come on, you should join me.”

“I’ve had enough of windows to last my entire life.” Sollux said, but leaned against the opposite frame anyway. Down below, he could see Rose and Dave settled in one of the gardens. “What are they doing?”

“Something called ‘jamming’.” Aradia said. “He’s been trying to get me to jam for several months now. I should try sometime. It looks like fun.”

Rose’s short hair fell in her face and she swept it away, laughing. “This can’t last,” Sollux muttered.

“She’s been touched, hasn’t she?” Aradia asked.

“Touched is an understatement. There are dark vines wrapped around her entire consciousness- I can’t even look at it without getting a headache.”

“It’ll make it easier for her, won’t it?”

“Easier to handle the visions? Yeah. Easier to get away from them, if she ever needs to? No. She’ll be unconsciously craving them the way her sister craves void. But worse, much worse. She’s powerful, she’s so strong, but she’s also incredibly vulnerable. I don’t know how to fix it.”

Aradia didn’t speak for a long moment. Then… “It’s almost as if these visions are a… double edged sword.”

Sollux groaned and rubbed his face with the heel of his hand. Aradia’s laugh was melodic. “Damnit, AA, those bifurcation puns are so three hundred years ago.”

“They’re still funny, and they still apply.” Her black eyes glinted at him. “Please, for Dave’s sake. Take care of her.”

“I won’t take care of her for Dave’s sake.” Sollux said, and he turned his gaze back to Rose again.

_I’ll protect her for her own sake_ , he thought.

 

* * *

 

Rose drew her black coat around herself and shivered in the cold breeze. It was half past ten at night, according to the Goddess of Time, and for the first time in a long time, Rose was at peace with herself. It couldn’t last, she knew that, but she refused to let that stop her from reveling in what she had.

Then the first vision came, and she bent under its will.

Most of it was dark, and hidden behind swirls of haze. There was a man she didn’t recognize, with horns that towered into the sky above him. There was a girl hunched over a mysterious device who looked up and glared at her with all the force of a thousand burning suns. There was a green girl, whose head resembled a skull save the swirls on her cheeks.

And then she heard footsteps behind her, and a low voice whispering nonsense words in her ear, followed by a second voice, and she whirled around to find the source of the noise.

“Welcome to the party, motherfuckers,” said the second voice in her ears.

A circle of light appeared, and there was a man suspended in the circle, hoisted by his wrists, legs crossed at the ankles. Rose saw the fine filaments of string round his wrists and neck, and whispered, “Dave hates puppets.”

His head came up, and he stared at her with empty eye sockets bleeding black ooze, and his mouth was full of mismatched razor sharp teeth that smiled cruelly at her, and she heard Terezi’s cackle and several loud honks.

Rose choked, and fell from the balcony.

 

* * *

 

John jerked upright, startling Karkat so badly the god fell off of their shared bed. “Did you hear that?” he gasped.

“No, I didn’t hear anything, due to the fact that I was ASLEEP, you asshole.” Karkat growled, slowly sitting upright, rubbing his temple.

“Something just hit the ground out there.” John stood up on the bed. Karkat made a screeching noise in the back of his throat and John, rolling his eyes, hiked the blanket further up his waist.

 

* * *

 

Aradia mumbled in her sleep. Dave rolled so that he was on top of her, snuffling in her ear. It would have been adorable if anyone had been around to see it but, no one was.

Except for Rose, who had fallen right outside their rooms.

They slept through the whole thing.

 

* * *

 

Terezi blinked awake and nudged Sollux, who was sleeping in the pile next to her. “Psst. Did you hear that?”

Sollux grumbled and pulled his cloak further over his face. “No, go back to sleep.”

“It sounded like it came from Aradia’s room,” Terezi said, and Sollux twisted his head to face hers. “I’m going to make sure she and Dave are all right.”

“It’s early,” Sollux grumbled, but he sat up slowly as Terezi scrambled to her feet.

 

* * *

 

Rose curled in on herself in the courtyard, stunned from the vision and her fall. She was afraid to close her eyes, afraid that if she did, she would see her maimed and silent twin brother in front of her again.

This was the future, this was going to happen. Or was it how he was going to die? Her mind was so muddled, she didn’t know anymore.

The loss of the vision ached like she was missing a limb. _I could do without the headache_ , she thought, and fell unconscious.

At that moment, a figure rounded the corner while on a walk through the garden. Her face was round, her hair braided and her eyes large and soulful. She blinked a number of times at Rose’s prone form, and then knelt next to her, braid gently brushing Rose’s cheek.

“Doom Seer,” she murmured, a slight bubbling present in her words. “Oh dear, you’re not doing so whale, are you?”

There were footsteps and John appeared from a nearby archway, with Sollux close on his heels. The woman cupped Rose’s face between her hands and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

“Milady,” John mumbled, and dropped. Sollux ducked his head before catching a glance of who was on the ground, at which point he rushed forwards.

“Rose?” Sollux asked, and hurriedly drew his hood back up when he realized it had dropped. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” murmured the Goddess next to him. “I did not sea where she came from. Sol… she’s been Touched by something.”

“I knew that already- Wait. Somet _hing_?” A chill ran up his spine at her words. “You’re sure?”

She nodded. “There is so little I can do for her. I have given her what I can, the rest is up to you. You have to protect her!”

“I will,” Sollux mumbled, and brushed Rose’s hair, which was now completely white, away from her face. As he watched, her eyebrows scrunched together and she cautiously opened one eye.

“Rose?”

She found herself staring up at three faces- Sollux, whose features were still shrouded in shadow; a black haired boy in bright blue pajamas who she suspected to be a Seer, and a graceful looking woman whose long black braid was tickling her nose.

“I’m all right,” she coughed, and felt a stabbing pain in the back of her head. “Ow. Maybe not.”

“What happened?” asked the black haired boy.

Rose stared past him to the balcony several stories above her head. “I fell,” she said softly.

“Whale, you’ll live.” The Goddess smiled at her and offered her a thin hand. “Just don’t go having any more visions on balconies, okay?”

“Sounds good to me,” Rose mumbled. Sollux took her other hand without a word and helped her stagger to her feet.

The Goddess looked at her for a moment and then removed her hood. Rose blinked at her round face, grey skin, and tall horns that curled outwards, away from each other, and then she said, “You look like us.”

“No,” The Goddess shook her head, but her smile was kind. “You are the ones who look like us. We came first.”

The other seer scrambled up, saying nothing until the woman had glided softly away, and then said, “Whoa.”

“She’s taken, and so are you,” Sollux growled. “Go back and find TZ, tell her that everything’s fine.”

“Okay!” The Seer turned, and then he turned back. “By the way, I’m John. It’s nice to finally meet you!” And with that, he scampered away.

 

* * *

 

“Finally?” Rose asked.

Sollux moved his hand to snake around her upper back. Grateful, she leaned into him as he started to help her back to her rooms.

“I imagine your twin hasn’t stopped talking about you since he first came here, but I don’t know, I’ve never actually talked to him.”

“Who was that? That… that woman?”

“That was Feferi. You got lucky that she found you. Who knows what the God of Hope would have done.”

“She had fins…” Rose twisted her head to stare after her and immediately regretted it.

“Not a story for now. Not a story for ever, unless Karkat decides to be cordial and have Storytime again. He doesn’t do it anymore, not after the last time.”

“What happened last time?” Rose asked.

“Seer of Rage went batshit. Started raving in… in some language we didn’t understand. Karkat nearly went snow white. His hands were shaking as he tried to pap the guy back down. In the end, Kan had to intervene, sliced the Seer in half with her chainsaw. His God barely even noticed.”

Rose blinked, trying to imagine what could make Karkat- loud, badmouthed, considerate Karkat- be so afraid that he shook. She could not understand it, so she let it go. “Do you all look like that?”

“Horns are different, but yeah, I guess so. Never really thought about what everyone looked like, not in a long time.”

“Oh yes, that makes perfect sense. It’s not like you don’t see them every day or something.”

“No, reely. I-I mean, really. I talk to TZ and Karkat and Aradia and sometimes Kan on a daily basis, but I’m lucky if I get to meet with any of the others. And when I do speak to them… I’ve been so plagued with the visions, I’ve barely noticed anything except the dark fog.”

“What did she mean when she said I’d been Touched?”

Sollux turned his head, and Rose could tell that his eyes were boring into her own under the shadow of his hood. Their footsteps echoed for several long moments before he said, “You heard that?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll… I’ll tell you later. You’re exhausted and your head is probably thrumming, right? Yeah, no. Sleep is best for you right now.”

“Will you stay?”

The words slipped out before she could stop them. Sollux stopped, jerking Rose to a halt so suddenly she felt as though she’d have surely fallen over if he hadn’t been supporting her.

“No,” he said at last. “I think Dave will be tripping over his own feet in an effort to get to you, though, so I think you’re in good hands.”

 

* * *

 

T’lskaia was huge. Really, really fucking huge. Dirk ended up staring at the front gates for a full thirty seconds longer than he had meant to before he set his jaw and moved closer.

He’d dealt with enough of the streets of Derse to understand how not being a royal worked, so when the guards at the gate gave him a glare, he glared right back, and dropped enough gold to… well, it was enough to make them let him in, and not so much as to alert anyone to his true identity. Gods be damned, but he wasn’t an _idiot_.

The biggest difference he found between this city and home, besides its size, was its architecture. Derse’s spires towered into the sky and were the same few shades of purple, everywhere. T’lskaia didn’t tower as high as Derse did, but most of the buildings were made of clay and looked more welcoming than the cold glass of Derse. And it was much more colorful- everywhere he turned, the buildings were draped in brilliant colors.

And, the people were happy. The carapacians who lived in Derse scuttled everywhere they went, avoiding the gaze of the humans who lived there as much as possible, and shaking so hard they almost fell over sideways if they were stopped. Perhaps it had something to do with the Archagents, who Dirk had never seen but knew plenty about.

Here, the carapaces chittered happily to each other as they examined weirdly exotic fruits set up in little stalls along the streets. Dirk bought a little red ball shaped one and slipped the stall owner an extra coin when he saw five very small carapaces in the back staring at him with wide eyes.

There was one clay building in particular he was looking for, and it caught his eye almost immediately. It was unadorned and plain looking, which set it apart from other buildings on the block. Dirk headed for it. Inside, it was dark except for one rectangle of light, which Dirk was hesitant to step towards.

“Hello?” he called into the gloom. “Is anyone here?”

Someone struck a match and lit a lantern. “Hello, my good man! What can I do you for?”

The man seated on the other side of a glass table was long, limber, and _holy hell he was attractive_. Dirk raised an eyebrow and forced himself to look nonchalant otherwise. “I’m looking for a detective Crocker?”

“Ah, yes!” The man jerked his thumb towards the light. “Just through there, good sir.”

Dirk tried to ignore the beaming smile he’s being given, failed, and quickly stepped into the back room. Once inside, he had to applaud whoever lit the place- it was lit just enough that he can see the silhouette of a shape in a high-backed chair, but the shadows were dramatic enough to cast a mysterious aura about the place.

Dirk wondered who their contractor was.

“Um… Detective Crocker?”

The chair slowly turned around, and Dirk had to admit, he was not expecting _this_. Detective Crocker was not a middle-aged man in a fedora, like he’d been expecting. Instead, she was a small, curvaceous young woman, about his own age, in a long grey coat with a double set of black buttons. Her hair was short and curly, her lips were full and-

“Is that a… mustache?” Dirk asked, trying to suppress a laugh, and Crocker smiled widely.

“It’s fake,” she reassured him, peeling the black smudge from her upper lip. “My father always taught me that the best first impressions are made with laughter, so laughter I try to ensue. Might I inquire as to your name and business, sir?”

“Oh, um… I’m Dirk.” She was pretty. How did one office have two unbelievable pretty people in it? “I’m here because… well, my sister told me that you were the best.”

“Oh?” Crocker’s cheeks go pink.

“Yeah. She didn’t mention that you were, um.” Dirk gestured lamely. “Not that I’m disappointed or anything,” he added hurriedly. “Just… surprised.”

“I have that effect on people. Who’s your sister?”

“Um… her name is Roxy.”

“Rolal?” Crocker squealed. There’s the sound of footsteps and the man from outside was suddenly just behind him. “You’re her brother? Oh, my. It really is an honor!”

“She spoke very highly of you,” said the man, behind him. “I’m Jake, by the way, and this lovely lady is my best friend, Janey.”

“Pleasure,” Dirk said, and he meant it.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Dirk?” Jane asked.

“Well, I’m looking for my other sister. Rose.”

Jane tilted her head to the side. “Oh?”

“Yeah, um… she was supposed to be in Prospit a couple of days ago. I followed her there, and she never showed up. One of the carapaces there told me that she’d been outside the city and had seen a girl who matched Rose’s description in a fight, and someone had pulled her away in this direction.”

“Hm!” Jane pulled another black smudge from under her desk and stuck it to her upper lip, screwing her face up in concentration. “Mr. English! This is indeed a conundrum. We will get on the case immediately!”

“Can I help, at least?” Dirk asked. “She’s my sister. Roxy wanted me to tell her to run away, but I thought that idea was even worse than going to Prospit anyway. But now I don’t know where she is.”

“I would never deny a brother his right to try and find his younger sister,” Jane said quietly, and her eyes flicked up to meet Jake’s.

“Let’s get down to business,” Jake said.

 

* * *

 

Dave hadn’t been on the roof in a few months. Not since he’d fallen right off the side, almost hitting the Goddess of Life, right in front of her moirail. That had not gone over well- she’d just laughed and warned him about edges, but he’d gotten a severe talking-to from the God of Hope, the likes of which he hadn’t heard since he was young.

But after last night? He needed the peace. He wasn’t even going to try and spar with one of the various dummies he’d built for himself for practice. He just sat on the edge off the roof and watched the sun rise.

“I have never seen a sunrise before,” Terezi said.

“Not ever?” Dave asked, surprised. When he’d been really little, his mom had taken him and his siblings up to see the sun rise every day. _Congratulations!_ she always had said. _You’ve lived to see it again._

“We’re nocturnal, Coolkid. The sun used to hurt us, when we were young. It doesn’t anymore, but old habits die hard.”

“Can you see it now?” Dave asked.

“Not really. It smells nice though.”

“It’s beautiful. Like, it looks like fire in the sky. You know how the sky is usually your color blue? Now the sky is like, red, like blood. Then it starts bleeding orange. And if there are any clouds, they go down in the inferno too. They’re so black it’s like, is that smoke? Was there a meteor impact? The king wants to know, how big was the meteor impact? Gotta ring up the king and tell him, yo. How big was the meteor, he asks. Well, your Majesty, you know Prospit? It was that big? No sir, it was bigger. As big as Jupiter? Yes sir, we are literally under siege by planet fucking Jupiter. OH SHIT. That’s what a sunrise is like.”

“What’s a Jupiter?”

“A fucking huge planet that I just made up.”

“Sunrise sounds beautiful.”

“Well, this one is pretty. It’s a little paler than a sunset, where you get the real inferno going on. Sunrise is kind of… pink. Oh!”

The sun peeked over the horizon, and next to it rose the green moonlet. In the far distance, Derse glittered as the first light shone through the purple crystal.

“You’re crying,” Terezi said softly, and Dave started. “Should I leave you alone?”

“Nah, it’s cool, you can stay.” Derse had always seemed cold and uninviting to him when he’d lived there, but far away, in the dawn’s early light, it looked like the most beautiful place in the world. “You busy right now? You could always come up; feel the sun on your face.”

“Um… I can’t. The sun and I aren’t really friends.”

“The sun ain’t sentient, lady.”

“Look, when I was just barely a wiggler, there was an incident. People died. _Aradia_ died _._ It ended in me looking at the sun and deciding revenge was useless even as my eyes burned in my head. It’s better if I stay where I am.”

“You said the sun doesn’t hurt you anymore. It won’t hurt you now. And if it tries, I’ll protect you. Isn’t that kind of the point? Or am I just a way for you to see the everyday life of a Seer? Because if that’s the case, then I’ve gotta quit. I didn’t fucking sign up for this shit.”

Terezi was very quiet.

“If you ever decide to come up here,” Dave muttered, and hugged his knees to his chest, “just be careful of the stairs.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Come talk to me.](paradoxicalrenegade.tumblr.com)

**Author's Note:**

> The characterizations do go in and out. I am aware. Traditional values of the society hold- the humans are nervous around the gods and they get very puppydog like. "JUST PLEASE LOVE ME I'LL DO WHATEVER YOU WANT." Karkat has had enough of your bullshit. As time goes on and they work out their dynamics, it'll get better.


End file.
